This application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 5-219090 and 5-219091 filed on Aug. 11, 1993, which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system unit for adjusting the operation of a camera, and more particularly to the structure of a system for setting and adjusting operation conditions of a camera at the final stage of the process for manufacturing the camera.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, the final adjustment of the photographing operation of a camera has been performed by using an adjustment machine having a probe for transmitting (communicating) a signal. Thus, an accurate operation of the camera can be assured while saving labor at the time of performing the adjustment. FIG. 6 shows an example of the adjustment system that comprises a probe connecting portion 3, which can be covered with a decoration cover 2, the prove connecting portion 3 being formed in the front surface of a camera 1. The probe connecting portion 3 includes pin receiver holes 4 formed therein, the pin receiver holes 4 each including an adjustment contact. A probe 6 of an adjustment machine 5 has a plurality of contact pins 7. Therefore, when the contact pins 7 of the probe 6 are inserted into the pin receiver holes 4 and the connections with the adjustment contacts are established, signals can be transmitted between the adjustment machine 5 and an MPU or the like in the camera 1. When an adjustment relating to, for example, exposure, is performed, an exposure quantity detection portion (omitted from illustration) is disposed in an aperture portion of the camera 1 in order to detect an actual exposure quantity.
Thus, an operation signal is transmitted from the adjustment machine 5 to the camera 1. In response to this, the camera 1 performs a predetermined photographing operation. At this time, whether or not the photographing operation is a normal operation in accordance with a predetermined standard is judged. As for exposure for example, an actual quantity of exposure is detected by an exposure quantity detection portion, and a judgment is made in accordance with the detected value. If the detected value is different from a reference value, the adjustment machine 5 calculates the difference from the reference value as a value to be corrected. The value to be corrected is written on a memory of a ROM or the like included in the camera 1. Thus, the photographing operation for each camera is adjusted.
However, the foregoing adjustment system unit having the structure as shown in FIG. 6 such that the probe connecting portion 3 is formed in the front surface of the camera 1 and the decoration cover 2 is attached to the probe connecting portion 3 encounters a problem that a cost for forming the decoration cover 2 and the probe connecting portion 3 cannot be reduced. What is worse, another problem rises in that a process for attaching the decoration cover 2 is too complicated and the presence of the decoration cover 2 limits the design of the camera.
Accordingly, a contact for detecting a DX code, which is information of the film, has been used as the contact in the probe connecting portion. That is, FIG. 7 shows the reverse side of the camera 1 having a structure that DX-code detecting contacts 9 project into a film patrone chamber 8 for accommodating a film patrone over the inner wall of the film patrone chamber 8. The detecting contacts 9 are usually used to read information of the DX code added to the outer surface of the film patrone. However, the detecting contacts 9 can be used as adjustment contacts acting when the foregoing operation of the camera is adjusted.
However, the location of the detecting contacts 9 in the curved corner portion of the film patrone chamber 8 adjacent to an aperture 10 caused from the relationship with the position of the DX code disposed on the outer surface of the patrone raises a problem that a satisfactory contact of the probe cannot easily be realized. That is, since the structure is arranged such that the detecting contacts 9 project over the wall of the corner portion of the film patrone chamber 8 toward a patrone shaft, the probe 6 arranged as shown in FIG. 4 cannot maintain the state of contact with the detecting contacts 9. In order to obtain a stable state of contact, a probe having a special shape must be manufactured.
There arises another problem in that the conventional adjustment work has been performed such that the probe 6 and the exposure quantity detection portion are individually disposed at predetermined positions in the camera 1 and accordingly the adjustment work is too complicated.